Peters



(No Model.)

G. B. SCURI. Velooipde.

No. 242,161; Patented May 31, |881.

y@ mi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Gs BATTISTA SCURI, OF TURIN, ITALY.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,161, dated May 31, 1881.

Application led April 7, 1881.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern Beit known that 1, G. BATTIsTAL Sonar, a citizen of the Kingdom ot' Italy, residing at Turin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of velocipedes called monocycles, in which but one wheel is employed, that serves both as a propelling and steering wheel; and it consists in the combination,with said wheel and its crank-axle, of a bifurcated steeringlever and a spring connected with said lever to support the drivers seat above the wheel.

The veloci pedes which have heretofore been chieiiy used are the bicycle and the tricycle, and to a limited extent the quadricycle, or fourwheeled velocipede, in all of which the support for the driver is so arranged as to practically throw his weight upon the frontV and rear wheel axes. The power required to propel these various species of conveyanees iucreases proportionally with the number of wheels employed, and the relative diameters of the latter, as well as the mechanism employed for propelling and steering the same, together with the weight of the apparatus. It is obvious therefore that the powerrequired to propel these conveyances diminishes proportionally with the number of the elements rcferred t0. Consequently, to reduce this power to a minimum, it will only be necessary tocorrespondingly reduce the number of propellin gwheels, the propelling andV steering mechan ism, and the weight of the apparatus.

To obtain these results I employ but one wheel, of the diameter of those used in the ordinary bicycle, which wheel serves both as driving and steering wheel, audit does not differ in con struction from those ordinarily used in bicycles.

In a monocycle that is constructed to support the entire weight of its driver, it is absolutely necessary that said weight, as well as that of the supports for-the same and all other (No model.)

mechanism, either for propelling or steering, should be thrown upon the one wheel-axle and be adapted to be equally balanced thereon-- otherwise it would not be possible for the driver to maintain his equilibriumand this I accomplish by means of the arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section, of a monocycle coustructed according to my invention.

A is the driving and steering wheel, constructed substantially like those of the usual bicycle-that is to say, it is composed of hubplates a, from which radiate the wire spokes ot', a grooved metallic rim, a2, and arubber tire, c3.

B is the wheel-axle, to which the wheel A is rigidly attached in the usual manner, said axle projecting outward on either side of the wheel, and has the crank-treadles C rigidly attached to its outer ends.

D is a b ifureated steering-lever, the arms d d of which are loosely connected with the wheelaXle on opposite sides of the wheel A, while the arm d of the lever serves not only as a steering-lever, but also as a support for the spring E', to which the drivers seat E is secured. The upper end ofthe arm d of the lever l) carries the usual lever-handles, D. Thus it will be seen that the drivers seat and steering-lever are capable of rotation on the wheel-axle. In order to enable the driver to better maintain his equilibrium upon the wheelaXle, as well as to maintain a greater leverage for [he purpose of steering, the arm d of the lever D is curved forward, as shown at d2, whereby the driver is enabled to throw his weight forward and backward during propulsion to maintain his equilibrium, and to obtain a leverage at a point outside of the true center of gravity-that is to say, to enable him to apply power to the wheel-axle ata point beyond or outside of the fulcrum of the lever, which is here at dx, or at the point that unites the lever with the drivers seat. Thus by slightly turning his body to one side or the other, and applying power in a like direction to the leverhandle, the wheel is turned to right or left, as

the case may be, through the medium of the arms d d, which transmit the motion and power imparted to the lever-arm d' to the wheelaxle B.

IOO

nient; I, obtain u velooipede that con be propelled with comparatively little fatigue, und the cost of construction ot' which is reduced nearly one-lmlf of' that ofthe ordinnuv velovipode.

l am aware thut nionoovcles :ire known in which the (l1-irons sont is supported upon n i rigid fronte forming n pnrt of the steering de- A vices, and the lzittor :is well the drivers weight counterbulmiced upon the riunk-nxle by niozins of weights ndjustubly secured to extensions of said frame below the c1unkuxle, und I do not wish to elziiiii,lii'o:1 lly,unionot-yele hnvingr t the drivers sent supported above the wheel.y and to be propelled by Pranks, in the usunl l manner. l

By means of this construction und urrnngel Having now described my invention, what I claim is- In :i nionocyele, the combination of' the folzo lowingelen1ents,to Wit: thedriving-wheel and its crank-axle, the bifurcated steering-lever,

i the spring E', :1nd the drivers sout1,supported l thereby, all constructed, arranged, und operai;

in;` substantially :islcse1il)ed,ortlie purpose g5 speeilied.

In Witness that Ielniin the foregoing I have hereunto set my hund this 15th day o" March, lSSl.

SCITRI (G. BATTISTA.)

Wit nessus:

W. Connor.; FnANmsvo Eu'rzo. 

